My Deepest Secrets
by xxtheoneyoudreamaboutxx
Summary: Uncle Sammy? Where's Daddy?"... This was the last thing Sam expected when he answered Dean's phone in the middle of the night... Sequal to Beads of Innocence.
1. Chapter 1

** (Set near the end of season one, before they met back up with their dad.**

Sam groaned into the darkness, rolling over and opening his eyes after Dean's cell had rung an annoying classic rock riff a few times.

"Dean?" He asked, but his brother remained in dream land, somewhere. He groaned, as he fumbled for the phone.

"Dean's phone. This is Sam." His voice was thick with sleep.

"Sam?" A young female voice spilled out of the phone, filled with worry and surprise.

"Uncle Sammy? Where is Daddy?" The voice hit Sam with all the force of a semi, and his blood ran cold. He wanted to laugh and scream at the same time.

"Who is this?" the younger Winchester bit out, hesitantly, after a moment. Sam wondered if he was dreaming.

"Uncle Sammy, there is no time for this." The young girl informed him, seriously. "Where is Daddy? I need to talk to Daddy!" Sam raised his eyebrows, and sighed.

"Okay, give me a second."

Dean woke up the second the cold water hit his face.

"Wha? Sammy?" Half asleep, he didn't notice the menacing look that Sam's face.

"You're daughters on the phone." In a second, he was awake and alert.

"Where's the phone? Is she okay…" His voice trailed off as he realised what he was saying. Dean had never told his brother about his twelve year old daughter. He didn't need to turn the light on to know he was in trouble, as Sam passed him the cell.

"Honey," Dean asked the phone, trying not to think about how Sam was going to kill him. "What's wrong? Where's mummy?"

"Daddy, mummy won't wake up." The scared, young voice spilled out of the phone again, and Dean could hear the tears rolling down his daughter's face.

"There w-was a fire. I called the 911, and they are coming, but you need to come home, Daddy." She explained with taking the time to breathe until she finished.

"I'm scared, and mummy won't wake up."

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A/N- How was this for a start? If your nice and review, more will be posted soon along with cupcakes, specially made for my lovely reviewers.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N- She isn't 12. Oops. Sorry!!**

**To all reviewers- I love you!! Thankyou!! I can't believe you guys all love my worst story :p, but I'm so glad. CUPCAKES TO ALL!!!!  
**

Chapter two.

In less than ten minutes, the motel was clean, the Winchesters dressed and caffeinated, and the Impala was pulling onto the interstate. There had been an awkward silence since Dean had hung up the phone and told his brother they needed to leave. He sighed, he didn't want to be the one to break the silence, but he knew he should give his brother as much time to cool down before they reached Indiana as possible.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you." The apology encourages Sam to rethink the possibility that he is dreaming; Dean has never uttered such a coherent apology before. The act in itself is enough to start dissipating Sam's anger.

"How old is she, Dean?" Or in other words, how long have you been lying to me? Sam's voice was quiet, and the pain of the betrayal was evident.

"She's eight in August." Dean continues to stare at the road ahead, and Sam still refuses to look at his brother. Its a few seconds before Sam replies, breaking the thick silence that has settled in the stale air.

"You've been keeping this from me for eight years." It wasn't a question, and Dean was glad Sam hadn't paused to calculate the months of pregnancy prior to birth and that he had known he was a father since Sam was fourteen. Dean took a deep breath; his nails clenched the wheel so tight his knuckles were white.

"Do you remember when I got the Impala?" It was about eight and a half years ago, they both knew that.

"Yeah, Dad sent you to study lore with Bobby and rebuild it after he totalled it and got himself the truck." Sam remembered, and Dean sighed again. He really hated chick flick moments.

"He totalled it when I told him." Dean admitted, and Sam actually laughed.

"He sent me to study with Bobby so that I'd have a genuine trade. You know, if something happened and I needed it to support them." He paused, letting Sam absorb it all.

"It finally makes sense." Sam suddenly spoke, his voice lined with amusement, raising Dean's eyebrows.

"What does?" His brother's concern caused Sam to smile.

"Dad's sudden talk after I got back from that camp and you went off to Bobby's." He took a breath, and pulled on a fairly accurate impersonation of his father.

"Son, soon you will start liking girls. Some you need to treat with respect, and some you will meet in bars. You are too young now… but if you ever have sex, use a condom." He paused for effect, before turning to grin at Dean.

"And that's an order."

Dean laughed, partially in relief, as he drove toward the impending flames.

**

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**CBloom2**-Thanks! glad you are enjoying it so far, and I can't wait to see where it goes too :p

**Sammyluvr83 **- Thanks! glad you did!

**AllieMcD **- glad you like it! Thanks for the review. I'm gonna have to use that phrase "Daddy Dean"... ^_^

**indusgirl1313**-She didn't seem too baby-ish? Glad you liked it though- thanks!!!

**mssammydean** - have a cupcake. *offers plate* and thanks as always for your review-love.

**ILuvOdie** - O_o scared? I guess that means I've sucsessfully got you hooked! Thanks for reveiwing. And yes, fire... what else?


	3. Earlier

CHAPTER 3

_Earlier…_

Both mother and daughter were asleep in their darkened suburban house, when a soft thud broke the silence of the night. Stephanie opened an eye. Pulling herself out of the bed, she wandered quickly past pictures of the three of them, happy and smiling as if everything was alright.

"Wake up, honey." She whispered, kneeling down beside her daughter's bed.

"You need to get yourself outside, and call your father. Wake up." The small girl's hazel eyes opened, searching the darkness. Seeing that she was awake, Stephanie left the room to give her daughter time to escape.

The girl reached for her emergency bag, as she hurried through the darkness. Her curly blonde hair was tousled from sleep, as she crept down the hall in slipper-clad feet, towards her mother's bedroom.

"Mum, wake up!" She whispered, tugging on her mother's sleave. That was when a splintering noise echoed through the silence from somewhere near the kitchen, and the smell of smoke started to fill the moon lit room.

_As Dad would say, Son of a fish! _She thought, scanning the room for the best route of escape. It was easy enough: her mother's room had a large glass sliding door that led onto the patio. On second glance, it wasn't so easy- it was locked. There wasn't time to look for keys, and Dad hadn't taught her how to pick one yet. She glanced around the room and spotted her mother's emergency bag. _Problem solved,_ She thought, as she threw it through the window. She did the same with her own bag, before grabbing a pillow and hurrying to remove as much glass as possible from the bottom half of the hole.

"Mum, you need to wake up." She tried again, but didn't wait for a reply- she knew she only had so long- smashing a window wasn't so quiet. With a deep breath, she grabbed her mother and dragged her out of bed.

A few minutes later, the young girl sat beside her mother on the lawn as the sirens in the distance grew nearer. Her blonde hair swayed gently in the early morning breeze, as she waited patiently for help, and her father, to come.

Stephanie sat down beside her daughter, worry haunting her eyes. Dean better get here fast, because her energy was fast diminishing, and this was far from over.


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N-- I hope the last update wasn't too confusing. Hopefully this one will clear things up, as well as fill in some of the answers you've all been waiting for. :) Cupcakes, again, to say thankyou to all reviewers. And a special plate for mssammydean, so she wont eat everyone else's :p**_

CHAPTER FOUR

It was hours before the Impala reached the Parkview Hospital, in Fort Wayne, after leaving the motel in New Jersey. If Dean had stopped to think about anything besides steering down the dark, deserted freeway at over twice the legal speed, he would have been glad Sam decided they take the werewolf pack in Camden, rather than the poltergeist in San Francisco.

Dean had barely stopped to pull the keys from the ignition, as he ran through the large, glass sliding doors, Sam following behind at a more even pace. He came to a stop in front of the reception desk, behind which a pretty yet grumpy looking nurse, her watching clearly reading 5:20am.

"Excuse me?" Dean asked, impatiently.

"I called a few hours ago, my wife was brought in after a fire in our house, with my seven year-old daughter?" The lady looked up, raising her eyebrow as she surveyed the man before her, showing more interest in him than in what he said, without much regard for his declared marital status.

"Name, sir?" She asked, on autopilot, as her eyes moved to the doors as they opened to reveal Sam. They both were tussled from sleep and the long drive, but this didn't seem to bother the young nurse, who eyed them unabashedly.

"Edwards." Dean supplied. "Please stop checking us out for a second and tell me where I can find my wife." He nodded at the folder in front of her, sitting open on the white counter top.

As she finished reading out the room location, and supplying brief directions, Dean made no pause before heading up the staircase. The nurse cleared her throat.

"Your daughter is being supervised by Nurse Whitewater, she should be at the Nurse's station near your wife's room."

--

Stephanie leant against the wall, watching as her daughter held tight to the bag in front of her like a security blanket. The young girl's hazel eyes were alert, as they searched the mostly deserted hallway, waiting for her father, as she sat in the corner. She had not been subjected to the childhood Dean had lived through, but the girl seemed to have inherited instincts from the family of hunters.

She shivered as the sterile air conditioner blew through her long, sleep-mattered blonde hair; pulling the bag closer to the small black pajama shirt covering her small chest. Stephanie prayed for Dean to walk through the door before her energy wilted completely.

"Hey, honey!" Dean called, the small child's face lighting up as her father walked through the door into the ward. In a second, she was on her feet running towards him until her caught her in him arms.

"Dad! You're here." She clung onto him; as if afraid he would melt into the floor, or evaporate if she released him. Stephanie smiled in the background, relieved the knight in leather armour had come to relieve her of protection duties. She felt so tired…

"Honey, I'd like you to meet your Uncle Sammy," Dean smiled, as he placed the girls feet back onto the polished floor, moving slightly so that the girl could raise a wary eyebrow at the tall stranger. Her bag slipped down to the floor in front of her, revealing the Metallica insignia across her shirt.

"Sam, I'm going to find her mother. Why don't you two get acquainted?" Dean suggested, and Sam nodded, recognising the distracted tone, as the elder man walked away and down the hall. Sam smiled, uncomfortably, from his towering height above her; bending down to shake her hand.

"Hi," He started, hesitantly, "What's your name?" The girl studied him for a moment, before deciding that if her father could trust him, he was worth giving a chance. Her father might not always be there, but he always came home, and she trusted him.

"I'm Samantha Jane Winchester," Samantha smiled, taking her uncle's hand and shaking it, as Sam stared at her in shock. It took him a second to recover, and register the raised eyebrow the girl wore. Minus the blonde curly hair, and the nose, she looked so much like her father.

"Are you okay, Uncle Sam?" There was an overtone of sarcasm coating her concern for the man who stood before her. As young Sam stood there, with an eyebrow raised and concern hidden beneath the surface of her eyes, there was no mistaking she was Dean's daughter.

--

Stephanie followed, unnoticed, as Dean walked into her room to see her unconscious body lying in the harshly sterile hospital bed. Standing beside him, she placed a light hand on his shoulder. She felt Dean stiffen beneath her touch, before she moved in front of him, and took a deep breath. Sometimes the head ache was worth it.

"Dean?" Stephanie looked at him with pleading eyes that rivalled his brother's, as she faded into view. The Winchester froze; confusion, fear and intense thought smearing across his features as his eyes darted between the figure in the bed and the one before him.

"It's nice to see you, too." She smiled.


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

"It's nice to see you, too," Stephanie smiled, grimly. She hoped the man in front of her wasn't about to faint, yell or shoot her. Not that Dean was usually enough of an idiot to get caught packing in a government building, much less a hospital, but she'd never known him to go without. Not when there were damsels to protect.

"How come-?" Dean asked, blinking stupidly, fingering the waistband of his jeans where she knew he'd have a pure iron knife, or even a handgun. Though he was in shock, his instincts were flexing their muscles, itching to take over the situation.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, but you haven't been home. Look, I'm running out of energy, and the headache is killing me. Just…" She paused, moving closer before placing a hand on his cheak.

"Look after Sammy," Her eyes were pleading, desperate.

"Steph, you know I will." His eyes were alight with confusion, panic, worry. His whole body was tense with it; he wanted to just hold her… but she was already starting to fade.

"Take care of yourself. And watch out for the pyromaniac bastard with the ye-"Her voice disappeared, no longer loud enough for him to hear as her lips kept moving. Then she disappeared from view, entirely, before the screen in the corner flat-lined.

--

"So what sort of stuff do you like?" The younger Sam asked, her pent-up tension releasing itself as a flood of speech. The taller, older Sam was starting to wonder if the girl ever needed to breathe; glad that it wasn't something she got from her father. She was a cute child, though.

"I like learning about lore. You know, ghost stories? I think it's really awesome. Daddy and Mummy read me them as bed time stories sometimes, but only the not-so scary ones. The scary ones are for when I'm older. You know, sometimes Daddy tells me pretend tales about adventures he goes on when he's away. You're in them sometimes. You know, I'm gonna be brave like you when I'm big. But I don't think I'll ever be as tall…" Her voice trailed off as nurses and hospital staff rushed to her mother's room…

_**A/N—How do you like little Sammy? Any thoughts…? Sorry it's short. Next chapter will be long again.  
**_


	6. Chapter 6

_She's alive. She is going to be fine. She is in a FUCKING COMA, _Dean's thoughts were racing, as he breathed deeply, trying to calm himself down. _I need to wear the brave face for Sammy, can't let her see how afraid I am. I've gotta be brave for her._ He closed his eyes and counted back in threes from a thousand, until he lost count and pulled his mask of bravery back on. He could do this, he knew he could. Dean opened his eyes and stood up, before walking down the hall to find his brother and daughter.

"Hey, Sammy," he said quietly as he walked over, smiling slightly as both reacted to the nick name. His brother stood up, and put a reassuring hand on Dean's shoulder. The look on his face was enough to say that his brother understood.

"Want me to..." Sam asked, gesturing towards the elevators. Dean nodded, and Sam turned and walked away, leaving space for father-daughter time. He sighed, and sat down beside his favourite little girl; eyeing him curiously, her face serious.

"Is mum gonna be okay?" Samantha asked quietly; leaning into her father as he put a protective arm around her small shoulders. Dean nodded.

"I hope so, kiddo. She's in a coma, but she's stable." He told her, knowing from experience that she was more comfortable with the truth then feeble lies and sentiments. She was a tough kid, but beating around the bush would just make her worry more. Dean breathed in, hesitating.

"Sammy, did Mum ever tell you anything that I should know?" He asked, softly. Dean could see her brow furrow in thought, as she bit her lip.

"You mean Mum's secret?" Samantha asked, just as quietly, as if they didn't want to disturb the serenity of the cold white world around them. Unfortunately, it was then that one of the nurses quietly asked them to leave.

"The doctor will be running some tests for the next few hours. It's way past visiting hours, and I suggest you two go get some sleep, and maybe something to eat. You look like you could use it," She politely, but pointedly suggested. Dean sighed, picking up his daughter and, with a glance towards Stephanie's room, walked towards the lift.

--

By the time he reached the Impala, Samantha had fallen asleep in the safety of his arms. He smiled at the serene look on her sleeping face; proud that she was his. He laid her across the back seat, spreading a blanket across her to keep her warm.

"Sleep tight, princess." The elder Winchester whispered, before shutting the door, and joining his brother leaning on the hood. Sam passed him a beer; it was slightly warm, but he gulped it down anyway. There was a long silence, just standing there watching the lightening sky from the empty parking lot. Finally, it was Sam that broke it.

"I would have thought you'd name her after Mum, if anyone." He said, hesitantly. Dean's gaze didn't leave the sky.

"You're welcome, Sam." The elder of the two brothers replied, taking another swig from the bottle in his hand.

"Her middle name was Stephanie's mother's name, though." A pointless fact, tossed in to end the chick flick moment that Dean was too tired to have. Sam was nothing but a stubborn bastard like their father, however.

"Thankyou, Dean. But… why?" that elicited a sigh from Dean, and another swig of cheap beer.

"Because you're my baby brother."


	7. Chapter 7

**(A/N)--Sorry this took so long... but I finally have inspiration XD**

_Eight or Nine Years Ago… _

_Dean was scared. There was no monster trying to eat him, or ghoul trying to kill him; but Dean was more terrified now than he had even been in his life. At seventeen, without a home, money or qualifications, let alone a job; Dean was going to be someone's Daddy in seven months time._

_He felt like running away, as he sat alone in the motel room; like escaping from everything. But at the same time, Dean wanted to stay. He wanted to look after Stephanie and help raise his child. For the first time, Dean started to understand why their father treated them the way he did. He didn't even realise how much he now understood._

_This is why he was afraid. It was so much more than what is father would say: it was the fear that one of the things he hunted would one day hurt them and that he would not be able to protect them. It was the fear that he would raise a child wrong; that his child would not live a normal life because of who he was. It was the fear that he had ruined Stephanie's chance at life by getting involved. It was just plain piss-your-pants hysteria… and it was never going to leave him alone._

_Dean's immediate concern, however, was how to look after his girlfriend; she didn't have anyone else, to start with. Unfortunately, the only road to take involved telling his father. _That_ was something he was not looking forward to. The only thing he looked forward to less in the immediate future was telling Sam. Dean had fought monsters and demons, but he did not think he had the balls to look his little brother in the eyes and tell him that he had screwed up big time. That innocent Sam's big brother was not the big hero he admired him for being. He didn't know if he could live with that-Sam needed him to be the strong, perfect one._

_Dean slowly dredged up the energy to lift himself from the bed, moving towards the dresser and his phone. He had put it off for long enough- it was time to be a man._


	8. Chapter 8

The Impala was unnaturally quiet on the drive down south from Fort Wayne, through Portland and down route 27. Sam wore his usual pensive expression as he watched the reflection of his niece in the rear-view mirror, her blond hair framing her small face as she slept soundly on the back seat.

The whole thing was surreal, but in a strange way it made sense. All the little things that had changed after Dean had turned 18 that he had always dismissed as nothing of any importance stood in a different light now that more of the pieces in the puzzle had been filled in.

The thought that still plagued him was the confusion over why he was not told, way back then. Of all the lies Dean could have told, all the secrets he might have hidden- why this? It was obvious that Dean had and still cared for him, in a strictly non-chick flick sort of way. Samantha's name was only one piece in a whole party pack of evidence to prove that.

Had Dean thought that fifteen year old Sammy was too young to understand? That he did not have Dean's back no matter what, after all Dean had done for him? Sam could not think of a single logical reason that Dean could have had.

"We're almost there," Dean's voice dragged him from his thoughts as the Impala turned off the highway a couple of towns north of Richmond. It was barely two minutes later that they pulled up in front of a small brick house complete with a picket fence and a rose garden. It was nothing special without being completely ugly- the sort of nondescript place perfect for a safe house, but was far from a characteristic choice for Dean.

"Hiya, Bryan," a young boy called from the neighbour's yard, waving at Dean as the elder Winchester clambered out of the car. Dean grinned and waved back as if he had known the kid for years.

"Hey, Luke." He responded in acknowledgement, as he shut the car door and looked over towards the boy who would not have been more than sixteen.

"I didn't know you liked cool cars like that! I thought you drove a Volvo." Sam saw Dean tense slightly as the boy admired the classic Impala. He smiled pleasantly, in the fake way he always did for strangers that he had no interest in sleeping with.

"It's his," Dean explained, indicating his brother as Sam climbed out of the car. Luke nodded his understanding before grinning at the younger Winchester.

"Man, you have awesome taste!" Sam smiled in response before turning to his brother and giving him a look of "what the hell" before shutting his own door and moving to open Samantha's.

"Luke, it's nice seeing you but we've had a long drive. Tell your mother I said hello and thanks again for the garden." The boy nodded before waving goodbye and running off. Dean sighed the moment the boy was out of earshot.

"C'mon Sammy," He said, taking his daughter's hand and leading her inside.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

_The darkness was warm and welcoming despite the shadow of foreboding in the corners of her mind. It offered comfort; a place to stay and rest while the body healed. The world outside, in stark contrast, was cold, harsh and fearful… _

_The need to stay, the need to fight the darkness was strong. Unfortunately the strength of the body was waning; its need to sleep and replenish itself greater than the will and determination of the mind. _

_The last thought before the darkness overcame her, pulling her into its caress and carrying her away from reality was that of fear. Fear for her daughter, for her daughter's father and fear that the evil that had started all this would return while she was unable to protect them._

_"May the lord have mercy."_

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Sam was eyeing the floral wallpaper with uncertainty as the younger Sam grinned in appreciation.

"Don't you think it's pretty?" She asked, breaking the silence suddenly. Dean had left the two of them in search of the bathroom a minute earlier, and since then an awkward quiet had fallen over the room. Neither was quite sure what to make of the other, or what to say.

"Yeah, I guess." Sam answered for lack of anything better to say to the eight year old across the table. Samantha watched him with uncertainty for a moment before opening her mouth again.

"Is it fun to be taller than Dad?" Her expression was serious as if her query was a matter of great interest. The elder Sam smiled in amusement, as he considered the question for a moment.

"Well, it makes it easier to smack him over the back of the head." He admitted and she grinned at the thought. Sam noticed with mild surprise how the small, genuine smile warmed his heart. The idea of being an uncle was new to him, even if he had actually been one for quite awhile. However, he found he didn't mind it.

"How about, if it's okay with your dad, I'll give you a piggy-back later and you can see for yourself." The grin widened at the offer and Sam smiled back, before they both quickly plastered innocent looks on their faces at the sounds of Dean returning.

The elder Winchester paused to raise a suspicious eyebrow before bending down in front of his daughter, and smiled; the love he felt for his smaller Sammy evident.

"You have two choices, Sammy," He raised to fingers in emphasis and Samantha rolled her eyes at the implication that he still thought she didn't know what two meant.

"Either, you can go back to sleep in the room set up for you or you can have a shower and get dressed. Did you bring a spare pair of clothes?"

The seven year old still wore her bright pink pajama bottoms under the Metallica t-shirt, which were decorated with an array of brightly coloured unicorns. She nodded at her father.

"I'm not tired." Samantha told him stubbornly, "But I only have one set of clothes. I only had time to grab the emergency bags. Is that okay, daddy?" Her big innocent puppy eyes made Sam smile to himself as he watched Dean melt. He wondered if he had looked like that at the same age, minus the female parts and the unicorns. Sam wondered if Dean had looked at him like that- like Sam had been his son- and knew, in his heart, that he would have. Even if John Winchester was too busy to fulfil the role himself.

"Yes," Dean said with emphasis, "It's more than fine. You did good, kiddo, real good. And, Uncle Sammy over here is going to go buy you some clothes while you're in the shower. What kind do you like these days? Pink and girly?" Samantha grinned, happy because for a female of any age –as far as Dean knew- new clothes solve everything… except perhaps her mother being in a coma. But they couldn't hurt, at the very least.

"Pink is okay. But not everything pink. I like ribbons too. Oh, and Uncle Sammy don't forget to buy me jeans and stuff 'cause that way I can help out and Daddy can keep teaching me all that cool, brave stuff I'm not s'posed to talk about." After she ran out of breath she stopped and smiled sweetly at her father, before proceeding to shoot her uncle a look, warning him that he better have good taste or he'd be taking it all back, while Dean turned his attention for a moment to pull some money out of his wallet.

Samuel Winchester, however, sat there looking stunned. _Wait, what?!_ Pink and girly clothes -with ribbons, no less- were the last thing he had ever expected his brother to ask him to buy. Sam was doomed.


End file.
